The pre-conference symposium on “Music and Labor” is inspired by Pittsburgh’s long history of labor unions and class warfare, from the age of robber barons to the twenty-first century restructuring of the economy around information, technology, and culture. The conference addresses the role of music in the history of workers, labor unions (including musician’s unions), social justice, and human rights. Marcus Rediker, Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh, will deliver the keynote lecture entitled “Sonic History from Below: Reflections on the Music and the Sea.” With illustrations drawn from his work on sailors, slaves, tall ships, and port cities, Rediker will show how music fits into a “history from below.” The symposium has already generated a great deal of enthusiasm and promises to be both timely and important.

A free workshop of Irish social dance, Ceili (pronounced “kay-lee”), with live music and on-the-floor dance instruction. This event will be held in association with the Pittsburgh Ceili Club and the Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance. Everyone is welcome to join in and experience the warmth of the local Irish community.

Join Pitt’s African Music and Dance Ensemble for an energetic exploration of traditional drum and dance music, including music for the harvest, the hunt, for comfort, and much more. Led by master drummer Yamoussa Camara, the group features students from the University of Pittsburgh.

Special Roundtable: Reflections on Two Classic Works on their Fiftieth Anniversary: Bruno Nettl’s Theory and Method in Ethnomusicology and Alan Merriam’s The Anthropology of Music4:00-5:30pmCommonwealth 1-2 (Video-Streaming Room)

In this roundtable, second and third generation scholars of ethnomusicology will reflect on these two significant works published in 1964 and assess the current state of the field.

Sponsored by the 2014 Local Arrangements Committee

Concert: Dangdut Cowboys8:00-10:00pmBallroom 1

Pittsburgh group Dangdut Cowboys, led by Andrew Weintraub, will perform Indonesia’s distinctive dance music dangdut (pronounced dahng-DUT). Created in the early 1970s, the genre blends Malay, Indian, Arabic, Latin, and Western musical elements. Dangdut Cowboys mixes classic dangdut songs with country, blues, rock, and reggae. Audience members are encouraged to dance.

Enjoy a special concert by the aurally adventurous SEM-O in support of Sound Future Campaign projects, such as the 21st Century Fellowship Fund, Annual Meeting Travel Fund, Diversity Action Program, K-12 Education Initiative, and Publication Initiatives. Contributors to any Sound Future fund between September 1 and December 1 will be listed as a concert donor (without donation amount) on the SEM website. Contributors who give by November 1 will also be listed in the concert program. Donate Now

Choose between a tour of the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning or the Andy Warhol Museum. The historic Cathedral of Learning, a late-Gothic Revival skyscraper, is the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere. We invite you to visit the Cathedral’s 29 Nationality Rooms – classrooms with museum-quality art and architecture donated by the cultural and ethnic communities of Pittsburgh – and the beautiful Heinz Memorial Chapel next door, whose stonework and stained glass combine secular and religious themes. Alternatively, you can take a shuttle bus to the Andy Warhol Museum, with an extensive permanent collection of art and archives from the Pittsburgh-born pop icon Andy Warhol. Located on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, the Andy Warhol Museum is the largest museum in the U.S. devoted to a single artist.